Nuts & Bolts Exclusive Concept Art

Getting the right look for Banjo and Kazooie in this game looks like it was a long old road.

This exclusive Nuts & Bolts concept art by Rare's Ryan Stevenson shows us that they toyed with all sorts of ideas before settling on the design we see in the game today. As we know from the storyline, Banjo is in retirement, and completely out of practice, so there is a whole section in the concept art called Fat Banjo. Personally, i'm glad none of those got chosen, else we'd probably see tons of "What have you done to Banjo?" threads appearing on our forums.

It's really good to get a glimpse at the creative process that goes into designing such characters. You can definitely see the thought that has gone in to making Kazooie seem more feminine, even if the words that come out of her mouth contradict that. The most thought has definitely gone into Banjo, who has the most varying forms on the artwork. I'm happy with the direction that they took, but which one would you have preferred?

As much as it breaks my heart, this beautiful framed concept art will go to the lucky winner of our I want that concept art competition. Treat it well.